OBJECTIVE: Perineal trauma during vaginal delivery is very common. Training in diagnosis and repair of trauma, including obstetric anal sphincter injuries, varies in the UK. We aimed to investigate the current knowledge and training received by obstetric physicians.
METHODS: A national, validated survey was conducted online, using Qualtrics. The National Trainees Committee distributed the survey. It was also sent directly to consultants via email.
RESULTS: A total of 302 physicians completed the survey and were included in the analysis. 3.9% of participants described their training in obstetric perineal trauma as \"very poor\" or \"poor\". 20.5% said they have not received training. 8.6% of physicians practising for more than 10 years had not had training for over 10 years. 70.5% responded \"somewhat agree\" or \"strongly agree\" when asked if they would like more training. Identification of first, second, third-, and fourth-degree tears from images and descriptions was very good (more than 80% correct for all categories). Classification of other perineal trauma was less consistent, with many incorrectly using the Sultan Classification. \"Manual perineal support\" and \"Controlled or guided delivery\" were the most frequently selected methods for the prevention of obstetric anal sphincter injury (OASI).
CONCLUSIONS: Training experience for physicians in obstetric perineal trauma varies. Further improvement in training and education in perineal trauma, particularly in OASI, is needed for physicians. Perineal trauma that is not included in the Sultan Classification is often misclassified.

暂无摘要。

The prevalence of obstetric perineal injuries and risk factors vary between affluent and resource-constrained settings. This prospective observational study reports on the factors associated with perineal lacerations in a cohort of Black African and Indian women delivering at two regional hospitals in South Africa. Binary logistic regression analysis was used to test for associations between independent variables and the dependent variable on multivariate analysis. All variables significant on bivariate analysis (P < 0.05) were included in the multivariate model. There were 202 (16.2%) perineal tears. Variables significant with having a perineal tear on bivariate and multivariate analysis included: Black African race (OR: 2.4; 95% CI: 1.2-4.6); duration of labour ≥6.3h (OR: 1.5; 95% CI: 1.1-2.1); and epidural analgesia (OR: 2.9; 95% CI: 1.9-4.7). Having an episiotomy was protective against perineal tears (OR: 0.06; 95% CI: 0.03-0.1). Obstetric perineal injury commonly occurs in our resourced-constrained setting and the risk factors are similar to those in well-resourced settings. Identification of those at risk may reduce obstetric perineal injury.